Solofrani in New York!

In August 2019, a group of Italians from my great-grandparents’ home town of Solofra, Avellino, visited New York and came to Most Precious Blood Church in Manhattan’s Little Italy to see the murals painted in 1914 by their native son, Donatus Buongiorno (1865-1935). The visit was arranged by Bill Russo, Director of Events in the church, whose mother was from Montoro Superiore, Avellino, which is 1 mile west of Solofra.

Solofrani in Most Precious Blood Church, New York, New York. Director of Events in the church, Bill Russo, center back in orange tie; Janice Carapellucci, in front of Bill, in white shirt; Monsignor Francesco Petrone of the Collegiata church in Solofra, to Bill’s right, in black shirt; Lucia Petrone, town historian from mayor’s office, Solofra, in front of her uncle, crouched down, partially hidden.

Solofrani learn that New York City in August is as hot as southern Italy.

I explained that I am a descendant of two Solofra families: Buongiorno and Troisi. Silence, pause. “Including Carmine Troisi.” Big gasp of appreciation. Pastor for 40 years of Solofra’s famous Neapolitan Baroque church, La Collegiata di San Michele Arcangelo (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiata_di_San_Michele_Arcangelo_(Solofra)), Carmine Troisi (1866-1948) was my great-grandfather Beniamino Troisi’s brother. They have a plaque for him on the church, and my sister and cousins and I photographed ourselves with it when we were in Solofra last year.

Two women introduced themselves to me afterward as Troisis–Luisa Martucci and her daughter–and I exclaimed “Cugine!” Luisa is to my right in the photo below.

After I got home and looked at my (rushed, blurry) photos, I was stunned to notice that there was another woman looks like my aunt Mary Troisi of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Look at the down-slanted right eye in these photos of both of them. It’s in the genes of this small town, people!

I had another opportunity to meet them a few days later, so I brought photos of Aunt Mary and accosted the unsuspecting woman. She is Giovanna Rega, and she denied being a Troisi in all directions of her family tree. Short of blaming it on the milkman, I had to give up my line of inquiry, but I did tell her she’s my “cugina” whether she likes it or not.